The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 5: Stories that never grow old
Children's literature
After these words the magician drew a ring off his finger, and put
it on one of Aladdin's, saying: "It is a talisman against all
evil, so long as you obey me. Go, therefore, boldly, and we shall
both be rich all our lives."
Aladdin descended the steps, and, opening the door, found the
three halls just as the African magician had described. He went
through them with all the precaution the fear of death could
inspire, crossed the garden without stopping, took down the lamp
from the niche, threw out the wick and the liquor, and, as the
magician had desired, put it in his waistband. But as he came down
from the terrace, seeing it was perfectly dry, he stopped in the
garden to observe the trees, which were loaded with extraordinary
fruit, of different colors on each tree. Some bore fruit entirely
white, and some clear and transparent as crystal; some pale red,
and others deeper; some green, blue, and purple, and others
yellow; in short, there was fruit of all colors. The white were
pearls; the clear and transparent, diamonds; the deep red, rubies;
the paler, balas rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue,
turquoises; the purple, amethysts; and the yellow, topazes.
Aladdin, ignorant of their value, would have preferred figs, or
grapes, or pomegranates; but as he had his uncle's permission, he
resolved to gather some of every sort. Having filled the two new
purses his uncle had bought for him with his clothes, he wrapped
some up in the skirts of his vest, and crammed his bosom as full
as it could hold.
Aladdin, having thus loaded himself with riches of which he knew
not the value, returned through the three halls with the utmost
precaution, and soon arrived at the mouth of the cave, where the
African magician awaited him with the utmost impatience. As soon
as Aladdin saw him, he cried out, "Pray, uncle, lend me your hand,
to help me out." "Give me the lamp first," replied the magician;
"it will be troublesome to you." "Indeed, uncle," answered
Aladdin, "I cannot now, but I will as soon as I am up." The
African magician was determined that he would have the lamp before
he would help him up; and Aladdin, who had encumbered himself so
much with his fruit that he could not well get at it, refused to
give it him till he was out of the cave. The African magician,
provoked at this obstinate refusal, flew into a passion, threw a
little of his incense into the fire, and pronounced two magical
words, when the stone which had closed the mouth of the staircase
moved into its place, with the earth over it in the same manner as
it lay at the arrival of the magician and Aladdin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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